Need some help! I'm in the process of replacing my old Power Steering Fluid Tank, and have no clue how to undo the hose clamps. See photo:

The clips on the coolant tank just pinched together and came right off. These dont seem to be like any hose claps on the rest of the engine. I tried pinching them with pliers but nothing seemed to move.
Any help advice would be greatly appreaciated!
Thanks!

 

The clamp shown in your photo is a crimp-on single-use clamp of the same type as is commonly used on CV joint boots.

When a new clamp of this type is installed, the "ear" that protrudes from the side has squared-looking shoulders. The clamp is slipped on, and the small hooks from the inner layer of the overlapping section of the band are engaged in the corresponding holes in the outer layer of the band. Once this is done, a special tool is used to crimp the sides of the "ear" into an hourglass-shaped profile, as shown in your photo.

The tool used to crimp the ear looks like this: http://www.lislecorp.com/tool_detail.cfm?detail=472
It works a bit like a pair of end nippers, but the edges on the business end have not been sharpened. Some tools of this sort also have an anvil that presses down on the top face of the ear as the sides are being pressed in. This prevents the top from bowing upwards, and helps ensure that the sides of the ear are deformed with sufficient force to maintain a tight seal.

There are a few ways of removing these clamps, but in my experience, the safest way to do so without risking damage to the underlying hose or boot is by using a Dremel tool to cut through one side of the "ear." The clamp may then be easily disassembled and removed.

I do not know if you can get away with converting to a conventional screw-type hose clamp for this application. BMW/MINI engineers may have opted to use the ear-type clamp to provide the greatest possible clamping force to the joint while maintaining a smooth, continuous contact area between the inner band face of the clamp and the outer surface of the hose.

Or, they may have done it just so the average punter would have to buy yet another specialty tool to service his/her car.


I do hope that these clamps are available new at a reasonable price.

 

Another reason these clamps are used is because the clamp acts like a spring and expands and contracts as the hose goes through heating and cooling, thus reducing the possibility of the clamp cutting into the hose.

 

Just stick a flat head screw driver in there and twist, it will come off. You will need to get a new one to replace it, You don't need a special tool, I just use the nippers...it will work just fine.